One of the most lucrative industries to work in is the videogames industry. It currently generates billions of dollars in revenue annually, making it more profitable than both the film and music industry combined. If you are within the 56% of gamers who fall between 13-34 years, you probably have dreamt of a career in the videogames industry. Luckily, videogame production is a largely collaborative endeavor, which provides numerous job opportunities. Here are the top 10 jobs in videogames that you can pursue.

1. Game Designers

The ultimate dream job for gamers is game designing. A game designer, also called lead designer or level designer, is the visionary who is responsible for the overall direction of the creative aspects of a game. They come up with a concept, which will eventually become a video game. Some of the characteristics you need for this job include:

Constantly producing ideas
A great project manager
Capability to handle setbacks and circumnavigate any budgetary or technical limitations
Great communication skills

This job being highly paying, the competition is stiff. You will need to start small with small projects and work your way up. Once you are successful enough, you can start your own studio.

2. Game Developers

With a median salary of $105,590, game developer and computer programmer jobs are also a great option. A game developer designs the software, which allows the videogames to work the way the game designer wants them to do. A programmer then creates the code, which converts these designs into instructions that videogame systems can read. In this career, you need to be able to write computer programs. A computer science bachelor’s degree is an added advantage and may be required. However, most successful game developers are self-taught.

3. Artists

If you are the creative and artistic type, then you will be pleased to know that there is a huge demand for artists in the videogames industry. Artists use their talent in the creation of models or sketch characters and settings to be used in the game. They earn a median salary range of $72,520.

In this career, you will work closely with a game’s design, and development leads in visualizing the aesthetics of the gameplay. It can include backgrounds, buildings, landscapes, and characters. The ability to produce designs on a computer is a great way to stand out. There is software available to help you do that.

4. Animator

Once artists come up with the concepts, animators bring them to life using specialist software. They make videogames come to life by making the movements as lifelike as possible. Animators also recreate movements of objects within the game environment, for instance, weapons, vehicles, and other objects. In high-budget studios, their work is supplemented by additional technology like motion capture and expert input by ballistic experts and physicists. It’s a great option with a median salary similar to that of artists.

5. Audio Engineer

Audio engineers make all the sounds you hear while playing a videogame. A sound engineer uses a computer and electrical equipment in the creation of soundtracks for the videogame. They are experts at creating and recording sounds and sound effects, which is vital to modern gaming. It builds the atmosphere and makes some game aspects more authentic and highly engaging.

Extensive studio experience may be necessary if you intend to work with established names in the videogame industry as voice actors are used to recording dialogue and music. A median salary of $43,660 should be motivation enough for you.

6. Writer

Writing in the videogames industry is one of the most enjoyable and lucrative career options, especially if you have a background and interest in writing. There are three types of writers needed:

Creative writers and copywriters- structure stories, plot points and dialogues in games
Content writers- market and promote the videogames in publications and social media
Technical writers- the writing of game manuals and provision of other support and instructional materials

Although an academic background is not always necessary, a bachelor’s degree in a subject like English is an added advantage. Writers in this industry take home a median salary of $62,170.

7. Translator and Interpreter

Professional translators and interpreters currently play a vital role in the videogames industry where most games have global popularity. A translator changes the videogame’s instructions and other documentation from the original language to another language. An interpreter on the hand converts the dialogue of the characters into other languages.

Some of the requirements include:

Fluency in two or more languages
A bachelor’s degree may be needed in some big studios
Ability to translate without losing form and style of the original content

If you have the above qualifications, then you stand a chance to work as an interpreter or translator and earn a median salary of $42,930.

8. QA Tester

Playing videogames for a living can become a reality if you become a quality assurance tester. In this job, you are tasked with finding and documenting technical and coding errors affecting the gameplay before its release. The finding and reporting of problems and bugs to be corrected may need you to work long hours with tight deadlines, but if you love gaming, it will be fun.

9. Marketing Professional

Studios make huge investments in the development of videogames and therefore need to make significant returns. That’s where a marketing professional comes in to ensure the profitability of every release. For instance, market research analysis can determine the potential markets, genres, and best times to release the games. A bachelor’s or master’s degree in marketing will give you a competitive advantage for this $63k salary job.

10. Professional Gamer

Finally, the easiest and one of the highest paying jobs in the videogames industry is professional gaming. Multi-player games have allowed elite gamers to earn seven-figure salaries. When you choose this career, you can earn through sponsorships and prize money in competitions and tournaments. It enables you to have your dream lifestyle while making serious money.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many opportunities to earn a living in this billion-dollar industry. All you need is the love for videogames and some special skills. Now that most of these professionals are self-taught, you can invest your time into acquiring a skill, and you will be all set. You can learn most of the other things on the job. The quoted median salaries are according to the 2018 US Bureau of Labor Statistics and may vary depending on the size of the company you choose.

Resources

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